Road Trips… they’re the life recharge we all need to take every now and then. Sometimes, this might be via car or plane, or both? Whether it’s stopping in at a quaint vineyard, apple picking, taking the time to admire those maple leaves and their changing autumnal tones…

It might be a big dinner with little-seen family and friends, (celebrating Mother’s Day perhaps?) Often or not, it’s about rediscovering that perfect little cafê tucked away somewhere special and hoping that (fingers crossed,) you’ll return soon one day.

Road Trips, out & about from Girl in a Food Frenzy on Vimeo.

Road trips, Autumn, apple picking and green trees. Family dinners, baking, wine tasting and time to ponder. Music from Vimeo Music Store, “Portofino” by Teengirl Fantasy

I was fortunate to have a little getaway last week to Tasmania and very lucky that those Autumn apples held out long enough for me to come and pick my fill at (my folk’s home.) Followed by lazy day baking (what else!) Big dinners at the family restaurant and warming my chilly fingers around a nice hot drink, I drank in all of life’s wonderful moments and took that time to ponder…

Brunch for mother’s day was the main event. Here’s an oldie but a goodie, which I revisited for my family. I’ve since updated that croissant recipe and added a step by step video too. These flakey, golden, buttery crescents could be yours soon…

Picture if you will, a bowl of golden orbs wrapped in an oozey cocoon of runny cream. It’s a lazy weekend and the house is filled with the delightful scent of golden syrup. That is my Saturday morning and sometimes when the mood takes hold, I (always!) find it meditative to make/enjoy a weekend treat.

Foraging in the cupboard I was delighted to see I had a bountiful and ready supply of baking ingredients, left over from my Anzac biscuit marathon last week. Thus I decided to make good use of that golden syrup lurking in the back.

Minutes later my sleeves are pulled up, there’s butter and flour crumbling through my fingers and I’m enjoying the view of the somewhat cool and darkening skies outside.

This is a traditional recipe that’s wonderfully old school, brilliantly economical and reminds me of the times (when) I first had the pleasure of eating these, at my friend’s houses for sleepovers when I was a little girl.

In fact, being a little Chinese kid, you can imagine my surprise when friends said we were having dumplings for dessert. For me dumplings were salty, either pork or prawn and they were parcels of deliciousness, reserved specifically for the start or middle of the meal (and not necessarily the end…)

Little did I know, these little orbs would revolutionize my thoughts on dumplings!

Macadamia Nut & Golden syrup dumplings

This Recipe is adapted from one of Australia’s living national treasures, Maggie Beer and her recipe for the Melbourne Food & Wine festival. I’ve altered the recipe to include some macadamia nuts and an extra pinch of salt to the sauce, (because I dearly love that salty sweet combination.)

For the Dumplings (makes approx 11-12 mini dumplings.)
1 cup self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
60g chopped Macadamia nuts
pinch of salt
20g unsalted butter
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
50ml milk
pouring cream, to serve

For the Sauce
1 & 1/2 cups golden syrup
½ cup water
60g unsalted butter, chopped
A generous pinch of salt

Method:

Macadamia Dumplings

Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Rub in butter with your fingertips, add the egg and stir to combine.

Slowly add the milk, stirring until the mixture forms a firm dough, (mine naturally came together into a ball shape as I mixed it.)

Gently roll the dough into 3 cm balls ), placing them on some baking paper as you go. Set aside whilst you start the syrup.

The sauce

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized saucepan with lid. Bring to the boil over high heat, stirring to combine, then reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced and syrupy.

Slip the balls into the simmering syrup, then cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Turn dumplings and cook for another 10 minutes. You can also add a generous drizzle of cream into the pot (if the mixture is simmering too rapidly.)

Remove dumplings with a large spoon. Serve with the sauce and a little runny cream if using.

Like this, you might want to see:
Sticky, sticky, buns!
Marmalade Puds
Old School Custard Tart

I recently made a little promise to myself that I wouldn’t take life too seriously. In fact, sometimes it’s really important to remember that all our great loves, passions or hobbies & (blogging!) need an occasional breather from time to time.

In truth I’ve been on term break for the last couple of weeks and there have been meals, lunches or dinners with friends elsewhere and time (gasp!) lazing about at the movies.

I have been collaborating on some new ventures with friends though, of which I’ll be be very pleased to reveal in the next month, so (I wasn’t entirely lazy…;)

In fact, I now have an official Girl in a Food Frenzy channel up on Vimeo. It’s slick, it’s shiny and it’s new!

Spaghetti Western! from Girl in a Food Frenzy on Vimeo.

Speaking of which I had a little fun with the video and yes, I know it’s just a plain spaghetti with an arrabiata sauce but I promise, this one is a Spaghetti Western with a difference!

Spaghetti western serves 2

Pasta Dough
3 eggs
300g strong flour *plus extra to dust*
10ml oil
30g semolina
Pinch of salt

Arrabiata sauce
Handful of fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped.
Chilli flakes
Olive oil,
1 clove garlic,
1/2 brown onion chopped
Pinch of sugar,
Salt & pepper,

Freshly grated parmesan to serve.

Method: (adapted from my school notes at Tafe,)
Make a well in the centre of the flour, add the eggs and mix together.

Add a pinch of salt and a small drizzle of oil, you may add these ingredients at the start before you begin mixing, or at a latter stage before the dough is kneaded. Knead together until a smooth dough is formed, rest for 20 mins.

Roughly chop some tomatoes, half a brown onion and one clove of garlic. Sauté the garlic & onion in a pan with some olive oil and the chilli flakes.

Add the tomatoes along with the pinch of sugar and season well. Simmer until it reaches a sauce consistency,

Roll out the pasta dough and cut to required shape, dust with the Semolina as you roll the dough to help it from sticking.

Boil in a pot of salted water for 2mins, or until al dente.

Serve with the sauce & lashings of freshly grated Parmesan.

Like this, you might want to see:
Lo Hei: Longevity noodles
Spaghetti Confetti
Homemade Fregola & Mushroom Ragout

Saving the Daylight from Girl in a Food Frenzy on Vimeo.

As the last of the light fades, I’m reminded of how good we had it in Sydney over the summer. It was a scorcher of a summer, hitting 43C (109F) sometimes and they were those long endless summer evenings which we spent chasing the daylight, with the occasional BBQ or two, or three.

Fast forward only a few days later and suddenly the skies darken from mid afternoon onwards. The garden is happier with just the right amount of rain and the mornings are brighter and clearer. Bonus being when I wake up at 5:30am on those school days, I’ll be able to see around the Figtree in my path a little easier.

Being the beachcombers that we are, my sweetheart and I couldn’t resist one last trip to the surf before those Autumn winds finally take hold of those Sydney shores. A dozy nap by the seaside, a little spot of fishing and always accompanied by a ravenous appetite back home.

Nothing satisfies those sea bellies more than freshly baked bread to accompany our supper and a bit of quiet time as we welcome the fading light…

Light Rye loaf

Starter:
1/2 cup rye
1/2 cup strong flour ’000′
half packet of dried yeast, approx 3g
two generous pinches of raw sugar
Sprinkle of sea salt
Glug of olive oil,
Warm water as needed.

Bread dough,
1/2 cup of rye flour,
1/2 cup of strong flour 000
(Optional, an extra pinch of raw sugar & sea salt,)
Water as needed.

Method:

Starter- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Slowly drizzle in some warm water until the mixture stirs together.

Bring into a soft ball and stir in a little of the olive oil.

Rest with a layer of cling wrap and a tea towel over & covered. The longer you rest, the more depth and flavour the dough will have.

Preheat the oven to 220C/428F.

Bread dough- Turn out the mixture onto a bench (or board) and gradually add some more rye and strong flour into the mixture, (if you like, add a little extra sugar & salt to balance the flavour too.) It will be quite slack at first but the aim is to work it gently and redistribute the extra flour throughout, this will take some time…

Rest the dough in a large casserole pot this time, with the lid placed on firmly in a nice warm spot. You want to leave the dough to rest for at least 1/2 hr (if not more.)

Bake with lid for first 25-30 mins to encourage steam in the rising, then remove the lid for last 15 mins.

Turn out bread carefully from the casserole dish and rest on the rack with oven turned off, for 1/2 hour to dry out the crust. You can also place a wooden spoon into the door handle so any escaping steam doesn’t linger and make the crust soggy.

Serve with lashings of butter & enjoy!

Like this, you might want to see:

Honey Bread with 24hr Biga starter
The plastic bag bread aka cheat’s sourdough
Pizzette

Salmon Confit from Girl in a Food Frenzy on Vimeo.

There are a few word combinations which entice & excite me to no end: Salted Caramel, Sunny Days, Movie Nights…and Long Weekends!

Alas it’s Easter and when I’m not celebrating with my fellow chocoholics, I can be found at the beach this weekend.

As Seafood is synonymous with Good Fridays, the warmth of the early days of Autumn and last moments of sunshine, I thought a new recipe was in order.

In fact, this isn’t really a new recipe but a tried & true technique of some great chef’s out there.

This dish delivers. It delivers light flakes of buttery soft salmon, that will literally melt in the mouth. Need more inspiration? See here for Justin North’s & Shannon Bennett’s take on Salmon Confit.

Happy Cooking & Happy Easter!

Salmon Confit: serves 2 (as a main,) or 4 entrees portions with a half fillet serve per person.

Ingredients:
2 medium sized Salmon fillets,
Grapeseed oil to cover as needed,
1 bunch of asparagus,
1 continental cucumber,
2 bay leaves.
Salt & freshly cracked pepper,
Garnish of Black sesame seeds & fennel fronds, (you can use the bulb for salad shavings if you wish.)

Specialty Equipment : you’ll need a meat thermometer or digital probe, when cooking the salmon. A julienne peeler will also come in handy too.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 60C/140F.

Into a deep oven proof dish, add some freshly cracked pepper & the bay leaves.

Place the salmon fillets on top of the aromats and pour in the grapeseed oil, until the fillets are covered.

Place your thermometer or meat probe into the oil and place the dish in the oven.

Cook for 20 mins and rest the fish for 10 mins at the end of the cooking time.

You’ll notice the flesh might look more cooked in some areas, than others. (I’ll just reassure you,) that once it’s rested, the colour will be much more uniform all over.

Gently pull off the skin, (using the aid of a small knife of needed.)

Salt generously and set aside whilst you make the salad.

Blanch the asparagus in hot water, with a little salt. Make the cucumber strips with a vege peeler, or julienne slice,

Serve the salmon atop a bed of the cucumber strips, with a side of asparagus.

Garnish with a few fennel fronds and a sprinkle of black sesame seeds, (optional.)

This dish is ideal served at room temperature.

Like this, you might want to see:

Red Sauce with Pasta & Scampi
Tuna Steaks & Prickly Pear Cactus
Fish en Papillot